Abstract
The aim was to assess the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) as defined by an apnoea–hypopnea index (AHI) ≥15 in the middle-aged general population, and the interrelationship between OSA, sleep-related symptoms, sleepiness and vigilance.
A general population sample of 40–65-year-old Icelanders was invited to participate in a study protocol that included a type 3 sleep study, questionnaire and a psychomotor vigilance test (PVT).
Among the 415 subjects included in the study, 56.9% had no OSA (AHI <5), 24.1% had mild OSA (AHI 5–14.9), 12.5% had moderate OSA (AHI 15–29.9), 2.9% had severe OSA (AHI ≥30) and 3.6% were already diagnosed and receiving OSA treatment. However, no significant relationship was found between AHI and subjective sleepiness or clinical symptoms. A relationship with objective vigilance assessed by PVT was only found for those with AHI ≥30. Subjects already on OSA treatment and those accepting OSA treatment after participating in the study were more symptomatic and sleepier than others with similar OSA severity, as assessed by the AHI.
In a middle-aged general population, approximately one in five subjects had moderate-to-severe OSA, but the majority of them were neither symptomatic nor sleepy and did not have impaired vigilance.
Abstract
Overall, 15% of the general population had untreated OSA without symptoms, sleepiness or decreased vigilance http://ow.ly/StiqS
Footnotes
For editorial comments see Eur Respir J 2016; 47: 23–26 [DOI: 10.1183/13993003.01955-2015]
This article has supplementary material available from erj.ersjournals.com
Support statement: This study was supported by the Landspitali University Hospital Science Fund, the University of Iceland Research Fund, the Icelandic Centre for Research and the ResMed Foundation. Funding information for this article has been deposited with FundRef.
Conflict of interest: Disclosures can be found alongside the online version of this article at erj.ersjournals.com
- Received July 16, 2015.
- Accepted August 25, 2015.
- Copyright ©ERS 2016